Job Search Strategy: Tips to help manage your time

Monday

Nov 19, 2012 at 2:00 AM

David Dirks

Half the battle in running a successful job search is managing your time each day.

Conducting a job search requires a level of focus and motivation that can be somewhat challenging to find every day. Typically, the energy and focus levels will be high during the initial stages of your search. Over time, you will find yourself having to re-energize and refocus your efforts daily.

Here are some strategies designed to help you manage your time effectively during your job search:

Set up specific "office hours" when you will work on your campaign. A job search is a full-time job or, if you are still employed, at least a part-time job. Setting up a specific work schedule gives your search some basic structure. It also sets up the "mental picture" that you will need to treat your campaign like the job that it is. Set up your weekly and daily work schedule, and stick to it during your job search. Have a list of objectives that you would like to accomplish each day, and goals you would like to hit during the course of the week. For example, you might want to set a goal for the week of finding 10 new business networking connections. Your daily objective would be to add at least two new contacts to your contact management system each day. If you exceed your goal, hooray! Setting a baseline series of goals will put you on the path to finding another career opportunity in the shortest time possible. Maintain a steady work pace. The early temptation during a job search is to front-load it by working at breakneck speed, day and night. That is a good prescription for two things you want to avoid at all costs: burnout and loss of motivation. Reward yourself when you reach your goals. Set a specific reward for yourself when you meet or exceed your daily, weekly and monthly goals. You might treat yourself to ice cream or take a few hours to go fishing at your favorite spot during your "nonwork" hours. Stay flexible and nimble. In the context of a job search, being nimble means you are quick to act on information and move with ease to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. Have a process for evaluating your performance on a regular basis. As with any job, a job search must have a performance review component. You need an unbiased way to determine what is working and what is not. Where are you falling short?

Job searches are never easy, and you have to be prepared to work for your next career move. Managing your time is the best way to stay focused and ensure your search doesn't take forever.

David Dirks is the author of "Job Search Marketing: Finding Job Opportunities in Any Economy." You can find more information on his job search strategies at www.jobsearchmarketing.net and by listening to his podcasts at www.blogtalkradio.com/jobsearchmarketing.

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